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Indy Star reviews Coats's lobbying past

It may be Valentine's Day, but former Sen. Dan Coats (R-Ind.) isn't getting much love from the Indianapolis Star.

The paper published a thorough review today of Coats's lobbying clients since he left office, which Democrats have been using relentlessly to tear down his bid to unseat Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.)

From the Star:

An Indianapolis Star review of federal lobby disclosure forms found Coats' lobbying business at the Washington law firm of King & Spalding was robust for nearly five years, starting in March 2005 after he served more than three years as ambassador to Germany.

During that period, Coats lobbied for 39 clients, including Google, Sprint defense contractor Lockheed Martin, Bank of America, Gov. Mitch Daniels' administration and India, raking in nearly $14 million for the firm. It is unclear from the reports how much Coats earned.

At issue here is how accountable Coats is for clients his firm represented that he may have had only marginal involvement with. (That seems to be the issue with two of the clients Democrats have seized on: Bank of America and a goverment-owned energy company in Venezuela.)

Nevertheless, the headline in the print edition is none too friendly: "Can a lobbyist go home again?"